Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[Truenorth00]

Lots of disruption this morning.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Lots of disruption this morning.

HEY!!! You are destroying the public's confidence in the system with such negative talk!!

[passwordisnt123]

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/the-blame-game...ng-thin-as-more-buses-promised-1.4660999

The chair of the city’s Transit Commission says patience is running extremely thin with Ottawa’s new LRT and the transit system as a whole, and he promises action is coming soon, including more buses to get people from the suburbs to the Confederation Line.

Councillor Allan Hubley, under fire for an internal letter suggesting other councillors and transit committee members were “doing damage” and further “undermining” public confidence in an already shaky system, says he understands all the frustration.

That memo came in response to other city councillors who are demanding an “emergency” transit commission meeting before next week’s scheduled meeting on Nov. 6.

Hubley insists he's not trying to gag anyone, and is as frustrated as everyone else.

“We’ve had a lot of issues, and commissioners are frustrated and angry. And we’re all frustrated and angry as well,” said Hubley.

Hubley says transit experts from Toronto have been brought in to try and help solve the many problems with LRT.

“My patience and I can tell you the Mayor’s patience is running very thin," said Hubley.

The transit commission chair also said more buses could be on the way after the budget is tabled next week.

Ottawa councillor Carol Anne Meehan, who was among those calling for an emergency meeting, called out Mayor Watson on Tuesday afternoon during an appearance on Newstalk 580 CFRA's 'Ottawa Now.'

"Where is Mayor Watson on this? Where is the mayor? He's the first one there when there's good news to share but Jim has been absent on this issue and he's put Councillor Hubley out in front," said Meehan.

Meanwhile, OC Transpo general manager John Manconi issued a memo to city officials on Tuesday afternoon outlining what updates will be provided at the Nov. 6 meeting.

According to the memo, Manconi will provide an update on rail service, including key causes of train faults, and bus service, including short and medium-term actions to improve bus reliability.

What's going on with Carol Anne Meehan? When she was first elected, I thought she'd basically be another Jan Harder-type suburban auto-centric conservative. But she seems to have really aligned with the urban councillors. I'm guessing she's not going to be receiving a christmas card from Watson any time soon.

Is it possible that the mayor + suburban + rural voting bloc at city hall is cracking?

[J.OT13]

"he promises action is coming soon, including more buses to get people from the suburbs to the Confederation Line"

Strange. I've heard a whole lot more horror stories of buses packed or not showing up from people who live within the Greenbelt, not the suburbs. It my experience, suburban bus service is top-notch.

Also interesting how Hubley maintains that he was targeting anyone or trying to "gag" anyone in his email, even though the subject line was “Sarah (in reference to outspoken member Sarah Wright-Gilbert) and members of the transit commission”. Can't be anymore obvious than that.

What erodes people confidence in the system is an a-hole transit commissioner chair who's never taken public transit, a Mayor who caters to suburbanites first, a lack of communication from both OC Transpo and politicians at the top.

What helps is a member of the transit commission who takes transit everyday and acknowledges the issues we all face. One that validates our frustrations. And people like Ken Woods, an inside guy who takes the time to explain the issues at great length and the steps taken to fix them now and avoid them in the future.

As for the question of whether of not the suburban block is "caking", I doubt it. Meehan is an exception to the rule. And two Watson opposers, Deans and Chiarelli, are now gone for an undetermined amount of time (I wish quick recovery for Deans and a swift exit from politics to Chiarelli).

[daud]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/the-blame-game...ng-thin-as-more-buses-promised-1.4660999



What's going on with Carol Anne Meehan? When she was first elected, I thought she'd basically be another Jan Harder-type suburban auto-centric conservative. But she seems to have really aligned with the urban councillors. I'm guessing she's not going to be receiving a christmas card from Watson any time soon.

Is it possible that the mayor + suburban + rural voting bloc at city hall is cracking?

She marches to her own beat for sure. Sometimes its very refreshing, sometimes its scary.

She is passionate-sometimes to a fault, and she's actually been more active than I expected. If she learns from her mistakes, she could turn into a decent councillor.

[SkeggsEggs]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/the-blame-game...ng-thin-as-more-buses-promised-1.4660999



What's going on with Carol Anne Meehan? When she was first elected, I thought she'd basically be another Jan Harder-type suburban auto-centric conservative. But she seems to have really aligned with the urban councillors. I'm guessing she's not going to be receiving a christmas card from Watson any time soon.

Is it possible that the mayor + suburban + rural voting bloc at city hall is cracking?

Based on his Twitter Gower seems to still be taking transit multiple days a week, but does not seem to be as vocal as Meehan. Sudds I think also takes transit multiple days a week, but hasn't tweeted much about it since the buses stopped going downtown. Not sure whether they are team Watson, but they atleast seem more aware of transit and its issues than their predecessors.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

What's going on with Carol Anne Meehan? When she was first elected, I thought she'd basically be another Jan Harder-type suburban auto-centric conservative. But she seems to have really aligned with the urban councillors. I'm guessing she's not going to be receiving a christmas card from Watson any time soon.

Is it possible that the mayor + suburban + rural voting bloc at city hall is cracking?

Same as what's happening in Toronto to some extent. As suburban communities fill up, transit starts becoming a bigger issue. Her ward is less suburban than a lot of the west end or the wards south of hers.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by SkeggsEggs

Based on his Twitter Gower seems to still be taking transit multiple days a week, but does not seem to be as vocal as Meehan. Sudds I think also takes transit multiple days a week, but hasn't tweeted much about it since the buses stopped going downtown. Not sure whether they are team Watson, but they atleast seem more aware of transit and its issues than their predecessors.

Sudds and Gower seem to vote with Watson on most, if not all, issues, but do seem to understand the other side of the arguments. Not like Hubley, Watson, and Darouze who personally attack anyone who don't share their views.

[zzptichka]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/the-blame-game...ng-thin-as-more-buses-promised-1.4660999



What's going on with Carol Anne Meehan? When she was first elected, I thought she'd basically be another Jan Harder-type suburban auto-centric conservative. But she seems to have really aligned with the urban councillors. I'm guessing she's not going to be receiving a christmas card from Watson any time soon.

Is it possible that the mayor + suburban + rural voting bloc at city hall is cracking?

Interesting what will happen in College ward when Chiarelli is gone. Even though he's hardly in Watson block, he's as car-centric as they come. Emilie Coyle looked promising and came really close to beating Rick but looks like she has since moved on. Ryan Kennery was the third and last candidate but he used to work for Watson, so he'll probably stick with him.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

What's going on with Carol Anne Meehan? When she was first elected, I thought she'd basically be another Jan Harder-type suburban auto-centric conservative.

Speaking of which, where the heck has Jan Harder been?

Most of the complaints I hear on social media are from Barrhaven commuters but I've heard boo from Councillor Harder.

[TransitZilla]

Check out Ken Woods' Twitter for a couple of interesting updates:

-the door issues have been "almost eliminated"
-they are now running into issues with the TCMS on-board computer where it requires a reset.
-Alstom is working on software fixes and they are sending out test trains after 21:00

Also, apparently by TTC metrics, Line 1 has been running at >95% on-time performance.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Check out Ken Woods' Twitter for a couple of interesting updates:

-the door issues have been "almost eliminated"
-they are now running into issues with the TCMS on-board computer where it requires a reset.
-Alstom is working on software fixes and they are sending out test trains after 21:00

Also, apparently by TTC metrics, Line 1 has been running at >95% on-time performance.

The TTC metric aside, this is some good information coming from Ken Woods. Would it be so hard for OC Transpo to deliver this information on an official matter? They should promote Ken Woods to PR spokesperson. Keep him in his current position so that he stays in-the-know, but add the PR aspect to his job.

Better yet, promote him to GM once Manconi leaves.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Also, apparently by TTC metrics, Line 1 has been running at >95% on-time performance.

It's notable that this is higher than what the TTC targets (90%) and higher than what the Line 1 had achieved for the last few days (89-93%).

[lrt's friend]

Is it true that the train stations do not provide shelter from rain and snow for the full length of the platforms? I just saw a picture showing a wet platform at Bayview.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by SkeggsEggs

Based on his Twitter Gower seems to still be taking transit multiple days a week, but does not seem to be as vocal as Meehan.

I expect that a smaller percentage of his constituents work downtown (many work in Kanata where transit isn't an option from Stittsville), so transit is a lower priority for them. As a result, it probably isn't as important for him to be as vocal as Meehan is. I wouldn't assume that him not being vocal equates to a lack of support though.

Sudds I think also takes transit multiple days a week, but hasn't tweeted much about it since the buses stopped going downtown. Not sure whether they are team Watson, but they atleast seem more aware of transit and its issues than their predecessors.

I don't know about Sudds, but Gower certainly seems more aware of transit issues than Shad was. All Shad would do is pass my inquiry on to Transpo and leave it at that. Gower so far seems more personally involved and talking to Transpo is only the first step. He certainly has been a pleasant surprise and will most likely have my vote next time around.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The TTC metric aside, this is some good information coming from Ken Woods. Would it be so hard for OC Transpo to deliver this information on an official matter? They should promote Ken Woods to PR spokesperson. Keep him in his current position so that he stays in-the-know, but add the PR aspect to his job.

Better yet, promote him to GM once Manconi leaves.

Yes there's seeming lots of minor delays, but I think people are missing the forest for the trees. Even with 0 delays and the trains working flawlessly, the bus system after you get off the train is noticeably less frequent then before. People wouldn't be so up in arms about the delays if the rest of the system was actually working, but every part of OC Transpo got worse after the service change. Even the 6 that I take in the morning, which had no routing changes, has less trips now in the morning peak.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by kmcamp

Yes there's seeming lots of minor delays, but I think people are missing the forest for the trees. Even with 0 delays and the trains working flawlessly, the bus system after you get off the train is noticeably less frequent then before. People wouldn't be so up in arms about the delays if the rest of the system was actually working, but every part of OC Transpo got worse after the service change. Even the 6 that I take in the morning, which had no routing changes, has less trips now in the morning peak.

You know why this has happened? All those articulated and double-decker buses that used to run on Albert/Slater have been re-deployed onto other routes. Based on capacity planning, they can run fewer buses and still move the same number of people. That is what has happened over and over in Ottawa as high capacity buses were introduced. Each time, service frequency was cut. But cutting service frequency backfires in the long run, as connections become more difficult and wait times become longer. The key to increasing ridership and revenue is by improving frequency. When is OC Transpo going to learn that you cannot cut your way to a better transit system? Look at the article posted today in the OC Transpo thread. If we want a more successful transit system, improving frequency is the key. Look at cities such as Kingston, Brampton and Vancouver where transit is growing.

[Mille Sabords]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

You know why this has happened? All those articulated and double-decker buses that used to run on Albert/Slater have been re-deployed onto other routes. Based on capacity planning, they can run fewer buses and still move the same number of people. That is what has happened over and over in Ottawa as high capacity buses were introduced. Each time, service frequency was cut. But cutting service frequency backfires in the long run, as connections become more difficult and wait times become longer. The key to increasing ridership and revenue is by improving frequency. When is OC Transpo going to learn that you cannot cut your way to a better transit system? Look at the article posted today in the OC Transpo thread. If we want a more successful transit system, improving frequency is the key. Look at cities such as Kingston, Brampton and Vancouver where transit is growing.

Hear hear.

[kmcamp]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

You know why this has happened? All those articulated and double-decker buses that used to run on Albert/Slater have been re-deployed onto other routes. Based on capacity planning, they can run fewer buses and still move the same number of people. That is what has happened over and over in Ottawa as high capacity buses were introduced. Each time, service frequency was cut. But cutting service frequency backfires in the long run, as connections become more difficult and wait times become longer. The key to increasing ridership and revenue is by improving frequency. When is OC Transpo going to learn that you cannot cut your way to a better transit system? Look at the article posted today in the OC Transpo thread. If we want a more successful transit system, improving frequency is the key. Look at cities such as Kingston, Brampton and Vancouver where transit is growing.

The 6 was already running double deckers or artics, yet it's frequency got lowered to the new 15 minute "frequent" standard, versus the 10-12 minute peak period frequency it was running before. So it's more than just the bigger bus thing, it was a service cut plain and simple.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

If we want a more successful transit system, improving frequency is the key. Look at cities such as Kingston, Brampton and Vancouver where transit is growing.

100%. The new funding coming to the bus service should be focused on improving frequency of the base route network.